A few moments later, in front of the Magic Association Tower…
Regular guards and ten elite guards were locked in a desperate battle against hordes of Shadowfangs, Stormclaws, Iktomis, and Kraggors. The ground was drenched in blood and the stench of burning flesh filled the air.
"There's no end to them!" one of the elite guards shouted, slicing through a Shadowfang's throat with his blade.
"Fly, you monsters!" roared the commander of the elite guards. He raised his staff, conjuring a massive tornado of fire that lifted dozens of beasts into the air. "Burn to ashes!" he yelled as fiery rain poured down, engulfing the monsters below in flames.
But even with that power, exhaustion began to show in his eyes.
"Don't lose focus!" the commander barked, his voice echoing through the chaos.
Then, his gaze shifted to the distance—Lacey sat calmly atop a broken stone wall, her eyes glowing faintly.
"She's controlling them," the commander realized aloud. "If we want this madness to end, we have to take her down."
At that very moment, Lacey noticed his glare. A sly grin curved on her lips.
"He's a tough one…" she murmured. "But it doesn't matter—because they're here."
She turned her head. From behind her, hundreds of dark entities began to march forward, their footsteps shaking the ground. Their crimson eyes glowed through the dust and smoke.
The guards froze.
"What are those things?" one of them whispered, his voice trembling.
"We're doomed… we'll all die here," another muttered, his grip on his sword weakening.
The commander clenched his teeth. He could feel their fear spreading like poison.
"If we fight together," he shouted, "we can still win this!"
But no one moved. Their fear was stronger than his words.
The commander glared at the oncoming army and raised his staff once more. "Then I'll show you!" he yelled.
He unleashed a powerful inferno—an enormous rain of fire cascaded from the sky, engulfing the dark entities in crimson flames. The explosion of heat scorched the ground and turned the battlefield into a sea of fire. He dropped to one knee, breathing heavily—the spell had drained a massive portion of his mana.
"See?" he said between breaths. "They're nothing to be afraid of!"
A soft, mocking voice replied, "You shouldn't give false hope."
The commander turned toward the voice—Lacey was smiling at him from afar.
And then… the flames parted.
The dark entities began to rise. Slowly, one by one, they stood again—completely unscathed.
"What the…" the commander whispered. His confidence shattered. For the first time, he too felt fear crawl into his heart.
Across the town, chaos ruled.
Guards, mages, and citizens fought desperately against the Blacktroops, monsters, and endless waves of dark entities. But no matter how many they cut down, the creatures kept rising again, like shadows refusing to fade.
The streets ran red. Screams echoed through the smoke. Hope was dying faster than the flames could burn.
At the edge of town, elite guards gathered near a shimmering, light-black barrier that surrounded the city. They hurled spells and weapons at it, trying to break through—nothing worked.
Behind them, townspeople huddled together, trembling. Some held their loved ones tightly, others clutched what little they could save. Many wept in silence.
The entire town was drowning in fear. Even the strongest mages felt powerless against such overwhelming darkness.
And at the center of it all, Dareth sat upon a black throne beside the lifeless body of his father. His crimson eyes burned under the rising smoke. The air around him pulsed with mana so intense it warped the light itself—mana equal to that of a mid-tier demon, wild and bloodthirsty.
Every heartbeat in Everdawn trembled under that suffocating aura.
Despair had settled in.
And hope was nowhere to be found.
At the Town Hall…
"I've sent a message to the capital requesting reinforcement," the advisor said.
The chief nodded silently, his eyes fixed on the burning horizon outside the window.
"May I say something, sir?" the advisor asked hesitantly.
The chief gave no response, only continued staring at the chaos in the distance.
"Reinforcements from the capital will take at least half a day to arrive," the advisor said softly. "And the way things are going… I fear we won't last that long."
Still, the chief said nothing.
"I think you should leave the town," the advisor continued. "If you ride the Phoenix, you can cross the barrier safely. You can survive—"
The air grew heavy.
The chief finally turned toward him, his expression stern but calm. "I will never abandon my people," he said firmly. "Not now… not ever."
He walked toward his desk, opened a drawer, and took out an old, worn photograph. It showed two young men standing shoulder to shoulder — he and Eldric, long before the burdens of leadership had aged them.
He looked at the picture with trembling hands.
"I'm angry at you, old friend… You broke your promise. How could you leave me behind?"
A memory flickered before his eyes — two young men under a starlit sky, smiling, their hands clasped together.
"If death ever comes for us," Eldric had said, "we'll face it together or we'll die together."
The chief's eyes welled with tears. "I'm sorry, Eldric… I couldn't save you. I was careless, powerless…"
He wiped his tears, tucked the photo into his pocket, and grabbed his staff, "I won't let your death go to waste. I'll protect the town that you cared about"
"Chief, what are you doing?" the advisor asked urgently.
Without answering, the chief leaped out of the window, landing beside the commander of the elite guards with surprising grace for his age.
He raised his staff, and a powerful gust of wind swept across the battlefield, lifting the dark entities into the air. He then slammed the staff against the ground — the earth beneath them turned to quicksand, swallowing the creatures whole.
The ground rumbled as the wind howled.
"This old body's getting hard to control," the chief muttered, clutching his back.
"Chief!" the commander exclaimed.
The chief looked at the man sharply. "You're the commander of Everdawn's elite guard. How can you show fear in front of the enemy?"
"Chief, I—" the commander started, but the chief raised his hand.
"Yes, they outnumber us. Yes, they use magic we've never seen. They have monsters, weapons, dark entities, uses dark magic…" The chief's voice rose above the battlefield, echoing with conviction. "But they lack one thing that we have."
He turned to face all the soldiers — elite and regular alike. "The spirit of Everdawn. The pride of being born in Everdawn!"
"The people of Everdawn," he roared, "never run from fear!"
At that moment, Lacey smirked from afar and ordered a pack of Shadowfangs to charge at the chief.
"Chief, look out!" the commander shouted.
The beasts lunged — but before they could reach him, their bodies were sliced apart in a flash.
The advisor appeared beside the chief, his blade glowing., coveredin blood
"join when you accept that you have Everdawn spirit" The chief and the Advisor charged forward.
Side by side, the chief and his advisor charged forward — the advisor cutting through dark entities with blinding speed, the chief burying them beneath the earth with tremors of magic.
Witnessing their courage, the soldiers felt something ignite within them.
"It's not the time to stand still!" the commander shouted, raising his sword high. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
All around them, guards and mages stood tall. Their fear vanished, replaced by fiery determination.
The chief's words spread through the town like wildfire — and soon, every citizen, soldier, and mage joined the fight.
The bells of Everdawn rang through the smoke and chaos.
The real battle — Everdawn vs. the Blacktroops — had finally begun.